5 legendary cricketers who had forgettable Test debuts

#2 – Viv Richards

Richards would not want to look back on his maiden appearance

The sight of Viv Richards arriving into the crease without any care in the world and ready to pulverize opposition bowlers is a part of cricketing folklore. But, the Richards who made his debut was an apprehensive youngster keen to survive the litmus test.

When confronted with the unorthodox genius of Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Richards looked completely out of depth under spinning conditions. Even as his fellow batsmen made merry, the swashbuckling right-hander was sent back to the pavilion for 4 and 3.

Though West Indies triumphed by a large margin, Richards was left with a huge question mark. In the very next Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, he took advantage of Chandra’s absence and smashed a brutal 192 to leave the audience spellbound.

Until his arrival, batting meant getting yourself in and slowly bringing out the fanciful shots. However, Viv brought a different manual with him and ruled the roost.